Grace your walls with this signed artist's proof of the original poster promoting Santana's debut performance at Bill Graham's Fillmore East in 1968. The concert also featured Humble Pie and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The giclee print is on archival paper with pigmented ultrachrome inks. It comes with a certificate of authenticity from celebrated artist David Edward Byrd, who printed these proofs personally.
Born in Tennessee and raised in Miami Beach, FL, Byrd was a pioneer whose work has directly informed the popular imagination of the concert poster. He learned lithographic-printing techniques after receiving both a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. in painting from Carnegie Mellon University, and has adapted to technology throughout his long career. As the exclusive designer for the Bill Graham’s Fillmore East, Byrd produced 11 posters for Graham between 1968-71. His original posters are in the collections of museums worldwide, including The Museum of Modern Art, The Victoria & Albert, the Le Musée des Artes Decortif, the Louvre, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Byrd also created posters for The Rolling Stones 1969 American Tour, TOMMY by The Who, The Grateful Dead Dance Concert, and the legendary 1969 Woodstock/Wallkill Poster. For Broadway he created many works for plays including Follies, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hot L Baltimore, The Magic Show, and Little Shop of Horrors. From 2006 to 2010 he was the poster artist for City Center Encores in New York city. Byrd was also the senior Illustrator at Warner Bros. Consumer Products for 11 years where he worked on everything from the Bugs Bunny Postage Stamp to the first three Harry Potter Films. He has had Retrospective Shows in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Sarasota. He lives in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles with his life partner of 33 years, Jolino Beserra, a renowned Mosaic Artist, along with their six dogs.
The New-York Historical Society presents the rock & roll world of Bill Graham (1931–1991), one of the most influential concert promoters of all time. Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution explores the life and work of the legendary music impresario who worked with the biggest names in rock music. Showcasing more than 300 objects—including rock memorabilia, photographs, and concert posters with a site-specific installation of “The Joshua Light Show,” the trailblazing liquid light show conceived in 1967 by multimedia artist Joshua White that served as a psychedelic backdrop to Graham’s concert productions in New York. On view February 14 – August 23, 2020.
